The Punisher and Jessica Jones cancelled by Netflix

THE Punisher and Jessica Jones, Marvel’s last remaining superhero shows on Netflix, have both been cancelled.

They follow Daredevil, Iron Fist and Luke Cage, which have all been axed over the past few months.

The third and final series of the critically-acclaimed Jessica Jones, which stars Krysten Ritter, will be shown on Netflix later this year, while the second series of Daredevil spin-off The Punisher was released in January.

Jon Bernthal, who starred as vigilante Frank Castle, took to social media to express his feelings about the news.

Posting on Instagram, he wrote: “To all who have served. All who know loss. All who love and understand Frank and his pain. It has been an honor to walk in his boots. I’m endlessly grateful to the comic fans and the men and women of the Armed Services and law enforcement community who Frank means so much to. Thank you to the USMC and all the wonderful soldiers who trained me. Go Hard. Be safe.”

Netflix’s relationship with Marvel has come to a fairly abrupt end as Marvel’s parent company, Disney, prepares to launch its own rival streaming service, Disney+.

It promises several new shows involving Marvel characters, including one featuring Loki from the Thor franchise. But in a letter to fans announcing the cancellations, Jeph Loeb – head of Marvel TV – has hinted that it may not be the end of the road for the Netflix characters.

He said: “Our Network partner may have decided they no longer want to continue telling the tales of these great characters… but you know Marvel better than that. As Matthew Murdock’s Dad once said, “The measure of a man is not how he gets knocked to the mat, it’s how he gets back up.” To be continued…!”

Netflix, for its part, told Deadline: “We are grateful to Marvel for five years of our fruitful partnership and thank the passionate fans who have followed these series from the beginning.”

It’s now a case of watching and waiting to see whether Daredevil, The Punisher and Jessica Jones will be revived in this format.